In 1975, eight years after the creation of the Archdiocese of Anchorage, two new parishes
were established in South Anchorage, St. Paul Miki Parish and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish.
Church services for St. Paul Miki were held at Oriental Gardens Restaurant on the Old Seward
Highway. Services for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton were held at O'Malley Elementary School.
In 1978, Archbishop Francis T. Hurley determined that the population served by the
combined areas did not justify the existence of two separate parishes, so St. Paul Miki and
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton were combined. The result of the merger was one parish which
retained the name of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, after the first American-born saint. St. Paul Miki
continued to be honored in a small chapel and social hall called the "Miki Center" in the first
church, and in the Paul Miki Center in the present church.
The first church and the school building of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, located on
Huffman Road, were dedicated in 1980. The school began with lower elementary classes
and gradually expanded to include K-8. Today, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School is a K-6 facility.
Pastors and Parish Directors include:
Father Thomas Connery, Pastor St. Paul Miki, 1975-78
Father Ernest Muellerleile, Pastor St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, 1975-84
Father Stanley Allie, Pastor, 1984-90
Father Dan Hebert, Pastor, 1990-97
Father Justin Dzikowitz, O.S.B., Pastor 1997-98
Sister Loretta Luecke, CPPS, Parish Life Director, 1998-2002, serving with Pastoral Associate Father Scott Medlock
Father Craig Loecker, Pastor, 2002-2005
Father Tom Lilly, Pastor, 2005-Present
"A Little History of Our Parish"
